Coloredthumb .... Thank you so much ! I could picture you laughing & saying those things ..... and wagging your finger at me !! I really thought you were being "mother hen" ~~ LOL ( I just had to make sure ! ) MY emotions are wack-o now . I should never had doubted you . I'm sorry ! ((((( Colored Thumb )))))) When I took my written cancellation notice to the Post Office today ... The guy at the post office was being so sympathetic and wanting to help every way he can . He was a gem . He explained certified mail to me ... how it's legal ... he made every effort to make sure I knew everything . I Sent the letter - certified - return reciept requested. I have evidence that I sent it on time. I also called my bank .... I never knew customer service was open all day Sunday ! Ashamed - I again told my stoopid story .......and to my surprise .. the gentleman that took my call was so supportive . We stayed on the phone for about 10 minutes -- he assured me that I'm not the only one. He explained how scammers play on your emotions ... he was dead on . What a wonderful guy . He also suggested that since I gave them a personal check - ( that can't be cashed because of the stop payment ) they now have my bank account number and might decide to "get revenge" by stealing my identity. I should change the account number . I'll be doing that tomorrow. I'm just in awe of people that are really concerned - not laughing because I Was so stupid - but really are trying to help me. I love my little part of the world ..

I am lucky so far--my husband is really alert to these scams and it is so easy to get talked into something. Everyone makes it sound like you get all these extras for next to nothing. I almost got caught in a magazine deal, but was able to get out of it because I wrote a letter canceling it sent it certified mail return receip and then put in a complaint with the attorney general's office. This state is real good with helping people out. They have a 3 day waiting period and that really helps. Marie

A telemarketer is a telemarketer is a telemarketer. They prey on people to get money. These scams have adapted over the years from car warranties to phone service (remember "slamming"?) to other assorted BS. They bank on people wanting to believe that Bill Gates will pay you to spam people, and they use powerful motivators. They appeal to peoples' greed and/or peoples' fears. A Nigerian General wants to share millions with you. I'll send you a check for $5,000.00, you send me your car and a money order for $3,000.00, your grandson will go to jail for 20 years in a foreign country, you'll lose your house, be burglarized and so on. Here's a pretty good recording of this scam. It's over 1/2 hour long but you can skip through it for the entertainment, but it also has some good info in it to educate people on how they work. Once they get you to download one of the programs, they can get into your computer and you will have problems. They use essentially illusions to look credible and the non-skeptical will often swallow it hook, line and sinker. I always told my clients that if it comes to you in an email, assume it's false until proven true. And when they call you on the phone, it's not much different. The sad part is people WANT to believe scams. And they want to be the first to share this secret with people so they send it on to everyone they know. Anyone can challenge/dispute any charge, just like anyone can sue anyone for anything, however it takes proof to prevail. The banks have no liability to reimburse someone for being a sucker. The easy dispute process was tightened up on many years ago because people would buy something, then have buyer's remorse and dispute the charge. There are rules with a rescission period requirement on large purchases but on smaller purchases when you authorize a charge, you're basically on the hook for it. And to get a refund, you have to go through the proper procedures. People think a credit card protects them because if they drop the TV down a flight of steps, or leave the cake out in the rain, and they can just dispute it and get the money back. You can't challenge a charge because another store put the jacket on sale two weeks after you purchased it. Doesn't work that way. It's similar to people thinking they can buy something with a check and stop payment on the check with no ramifications or even to put them in a better bargaining position. Not always so. You can have issues with criminal charges against you for defrauding an innkeeper for one thing. Attempting to evade payment of a debt is a criminal charge in many places. For instance, writing a check on a closed account. Sadly there are some cards who will sometimes indemnify suckers and that costs everyone money. They'll do it for "customer service" I suppose but again, ever since the changes in the credit laws a number of years ago they aren't as friendly about it. Most of these telemarketers are educated, at least more than a lot of the people they call. I'd suspect the caller did not say they were with Microsoft. They probably said "tech support" or something and babble something about Microsoft certification or something and people who don't know better or don't pay attention assume something different. One of the collection agencies out of Canada operate under a name similar to a law office to gain credibility and scare people into paying up, even on debts they don't owe. People need to be educated and at least learn more than the telemarketers to protect themselves or they're destined to lose.

One bullet point that caught my eye is the one about Growing Your Garden With Bath Water. I've had two thoughts in that direction I'll share here even if sharing one of them probably means I'm giving away a million dollar idea! First, growing the garden with bath water. Really interesting idea but one that I've been told would never be allowed by the local health authority. But it's an idea I highly favor. I hate wasting water but enjoy long hot showers. I also had an aging septic system and often wished I could twist a valve after I finished with the soap and shampoo and divert the very clean rinse water to my yard or garden and bypass the septic tank. Along those same thoughts, because of space requirements and maintanence, I'm probably not a candidate for a hot tub. But I could stand under a hot shower for an hour. So what if I could twist that hypothetical valve after I finished rinsing and re-circulate the clean water through a tankless water heater and just enjoyed the hot water effect without wasting gallons upon gallons of water? Maybe 5 gallons total being re-circulated then dumped when finished? Dumb idea or million dollar baby? I like Mike's attention to detail and his do it the right way the first time approach. However, I think he's a bit cocky and probably an authoritarian tyrant off camera. And does anyone really want to see a 50-year old Mr. "T" wannabe? Come on Mike, put on a shirt with some sleeves. I've wandered across some other sites and blogs that might be interesting to some of you. Does GW get touchy about sharing competing sites here? I know they have rules about mentioning businesses. Scott